Former Detriot mayor’s Skytel lawsuit tossed

JACKSON — A judge in Mississippi has dismissed a federal lawsuit by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick over the release of sexually explicit text messages.

The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News report the U.S. District Court judge yesterday said Kilpatrick didn’t follow court rules in filing an amended federal complaint against SkyTel Inc., the city’s former communications provider.

The judge returned the case to Hinds County Circuit Court, where it was originally filed in 2009. Kilpatrick could continue the legal battle there.

An email seeking comment was sent Wednesday by The Associated Press to a Kilpatrick representative.

Some messages from the city-issued pager contained sexually explicit dialogue between the married Kilpatrick and ex-chief of staff Christine Beatty. They both served jail sentences for lying in court about their affair.